Shloka 43
The Description of Kāśī (Kāśī-māhātmya): Avimukta, Kapālamocana, and Śiva’s Purification
धरणिभरहरासुरारिपूज्य प्रकृतीशेश जगन्निवास राम । गुणगणविलसच्चराचरेश त्रिगुणातीत सनातनाग्रपूज्य । निजजनपरिरक्षितान्तकारे कमलाङ्घ्रे कमनीय पद्मनाभ । कमलकर कुशेशयाधिवास प्रियकामोन्मथन त्र्यधीशवंद्य ॥ ४३ ॥
dharaṇibharaharāsurāripūjya prakṛtīśeśa jagannivāsa rāma | guṇagaṇavilasaccarācareśa triguṇātīta sanātanāgrapūjya | nijajanaparirakṣitāntakāre kamalāṅghre kamanīya padmanābha | kamalakara kuśeśayādhivāsa priyakāmonmathana tryadhīśavaṃdya || 43 ||
Wahai Rāma, tempat berlindung segala alam—dihormati bahkan oleh musuh para Asura, Śiva, dan Engkau yang meringankan beban bumi. Tuhan Prakṛti serta Penguasanya; Raja segala yang bergerak dan yang tidak bergerak, bersinar dengan gugusan kebajikan tanpa bilangan; melampaui tiga guṇa, senantiasa dipuja terlebih dahulu oleh para purba. Wahai Padmanābha, berteratai indah kaki-Mu; tangan-Mu laksana teratai melindungi umat-Mu saat ajal; Engkau bersemayam pada teratai (Lakṣmī), menggugah hati para bhakta terkasih, dan disembah oleh para penguasa tiga dunia.
Narada (stotra within the Uttara-Bhaga narrative context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It exalts Bhagavān (Viṣṇu/Rāma) as the cosmic refuge who transcends the three guṇas, protects devotees—especially at the time of death—and is revered even by the highest deities, establishing Him as the supreme object of worship.
By listing divine attributes (protector of devotees, lotus-footed Padmanābha, adored by all worlds), it guides the mind into loving remembrance and praise—core practices of bhakti—culminating in antakāla-smaraṇa (remembrance at death) as a devotional ideal.
No specific Vedāṅga technique is taught; the practical takeaway is stotra-pāṭha (devotional recitation) and nāma-smaraṇa as a sādhana, aligned with Purāṇic ritual devotion rather than technical disciplines like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa.